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Open Plan Living: An Introduction*

We’ve
been in love with multi-functional rooms for a while now. As more and
more of us open up our downstairs from a collection of small cramped
rooms into one larger space. There can be problems as well as benefits to this kind of living as with all things you have to weigh up the pros and and cons. One room divided into specific areas for cooking, dining and relaxing appears to be the kind of living plan which many of us dream of, but the reality can be different. If you aren't really sure how to approach such a project you need not worry; as ever there's always an abundance of free information, tips and advice online for those who may be a little unsure of how to get started.

Why Choose Open Plan?

Knocking
through rooms – often the under-used dining space into a smaller
kitchen – can bring light and openness, creating a fluidity that
gels well with our super-connected sociable lifestyles. For
multi-functional rooms that include a kitchen, the benefits are
clear. It prevents the cook from feeling isolated for a start. No
more retiring to the kitchen for half an hour on your own to prepare
meals. A bespokekitchen scheme
that includes an island or peninsula that looks out onto the rest of
the space means that cooking and preparing food need no longer be a
solitary process. Often given as a reason for going open plan is the
need to keep an eye on children. From toddlers playing to teens doing
their homework, for busy families a space that performs several
functions allows the family to spend time together even when they’re
performing many different tasks.

At
a time when homes are getting smaller and space is becoming more
valuable, a room allocated just for formal dining can seem an
extravagance, while a well-designed kitchen-diner allows you to
prepare, cook and eat in the one room comfortably. However, you do
have to be canny when planning a multi-functional room to ensure all
zones work well together and recognize that this kind of layout will
reduce privacy, particularly if you’re opening up the whole of your
downstairs. Having nowhere quiet to retire while the kids watch TV or
play can become a problem. There are also the issues of noise from
appliances that might disturb you or that clearly evident pile of
washing-up nagging at you as you sit down for an evening of TV or a
quiet read with your favourite book or magazine. Fewer walls also
mean less space to put furniture, which can lead to a room that’s
crammed around the walls or jumbled in the centre.

So,
if you want to open up the space but you’re concerned about some
aspects, the latest trend of broken-plan living might well be for
you.

As
the potential pitfalls associated with open-plan living become more
evident, there’s been a move towards a compromise known as
broken-plan living. The idea is to retain all the things you love
about open-plan –
particularly the light and openness – while at the same time zoning
the space to allow for more privacy should you need it. Rather than
doing this with colours and
textures as you would in a true open-plan arrangements, broken-plan
employs structural elements such as half-walls, dividing shelves,
changing levels, walls of glass and even mezzanines to delineate and
formalize areas for different uses.

How To Make It Work

In
its simplest form, you can create broken-plan living in an already
open space by creating ‘walls’ using open boxed shelving units to
define the space between a kitchen and chilling out area for
instance. Of course, you don’t want to regress back to small poky
rooms so don’t cram the shelves full of books – instead, artfully
arrange a few favourite pieces to signal the change between one room
and another and leave some of the shelves open to allow light to
freely cascade from one zone to another. If you’re just starting
your project then consider just knocking down half a wall and leaving
the top open, allowing sight-lines through but at the same time
giving you more wall space to play with. While hatches should remain
a distinctly 70's invention, a larger aperture in the wall between a
kitchen and sitting room, for example, is a workable and modern
substitute.

Alternatively,
don’t knock completely out to the sides, instead leave a ‘block’
of wall at either side allowing you to station pieces of furniture
against these walls to signal different uses clearly but subtly.
Also consider building/Installing pocket doors that will slide out of sight
into the walls when you want to join two rooms but can be closed
quickly to create separation when needed.

Recently,
Crittall-style windows have come back into fashion. Metal framed
windows and sometimes doors traditionally used in industrial spaces
or as exterior walls onto gardens, they have celebrity fans such as
TV presenter and architect George Clarke, who celebrates their
ability to cleverly divide an internal space without shutting off one
room totally from another.

When
joining two rooms together, differing levels may well be an issue
but broken-plan schemes can actively embrace changing floor and
ceiling heights incorporating them more seamlessly into the environment.

A
few steps from the kitchen to the dining area for instance can
provide a clear physical divide as well as a mental one, allowing you
to leave the kitchen behind to concentrate on enjoying your meal
without fear of what the sink might hold for those of us who are a little shy of the domestic chores involved.

Finally,
for a bit of 'wow' factor, why not consider adding a bespoke fireplace
in the middle of a large room, which can be viewed from either side.
It’s another inventive way to create a cosy and private atmosphere in an otherwise open room.